


One of These Days

by KizaKurosaki15



Series: Turk Testing Series [6]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Romance, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:54:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24256207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KizaKurosaki15/pseuds/KizaKurosaki15
Summary: One of these days they would go to the Paradise Reno and Zack had dreamed of running away to.
Relationships: Past Zack Fair/Reno, Reno/Cloud Strife
Series: Turk Testing Series [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1704154
Kudos: 26





	One of These Days

Reno blinked slowly, staring at the large sword Cloud was holding out to him in both hands. It was one Reno knew well, had broken many EMRs on. He had helped its previous owner many times shine and clean it as well. Though, after its previous owner he had once again went up against it, but in a much less friendly manner. He never got to hold that blade again for the simply intention of helping to maintain it. He wasnt expecting to ever see this blade again, while he knew where it had been, he never stepped foot in the church for several reasons. He looked up slowly at the blonde, a brow raised in confusion, Cloud had been Zack's best friend, for him to have and use the sword wasnt a shock. The blonde never let anyone touch it, and Reno had never told him what his relationship with Zack had been. How had he found out, which Reno had assumed he somehow had found out. 

_And that scared him._

"Figured you'd want it." Cloud said, his tone calm yet oddly gentle. He knew Reno could hold the sword up, could carry it to where he wanted to place it. He had a feeling that whatever happened between the redhead and Zack was more then what Reno had ever told him or anyone. Cloud had never asked him in detail about it, or at all really. Whenever the topic of Zack was brought up around Reno, the redhead would excuse himself or simply and silently leave. Talking about Zack wasnt easy, and hearing what happened to him saddened anyone who heard the story. But it was more upsetting to Reno then the others it seemed. While Cloud would have liked to know the details, he also knew better then anyone how much more painful it could be to remember those happy memories. He watched Reno carefully, and the former Turk stared at the weapon with such sadness and fear. "Reno?" He called, keeping his tone gentle. The said man reached out carefully to run his shaking fingers down the flat part of the sword stopping right at the middle of it and laying his palm flat against it. 

"Haven't touched this thing in years." He admitted softly, his voice tight. He could feel a lump in his throat forming and his eyes sting a bit. He forced out a small, but sad smile as he motioned for Cloud to lay it carefully on the bar top. Only then did the redhead move to come around the bar. "Didn't think I ever would again."

_Didnt think I had a right to. Still dont actually._

Reno pushed that thought away, looking to the blonde haired fighter turned delivery boy. "Wait here." He said, heading up the stairs, he took that time to search through his room, looking for something that had been left back his old home ages ago by Zack himself. When he found the black box, he blew the dust off of it and carried it back down stairs. He knew Cloud would recognize the box, after all, he needed a similar kit to maintain that fusion sword of his. He set the box down on the bar top, opening it and pulling out the necessary items. He didnt dare look up at the blonde, if he did he wouldn't be able to hold it together any longer. He stated down at the sword for a moment again, letting his thoughts get the best of him. 

_"Now, what your gonna wanna do is apply a bit of oil on this part of blade, see? Seeing as it's bigger then most we'll have to clean it section by section."_

_"And only you would have one of the biggest swords I've ever seen that takes forever to polish."_

_"Hey, at least this is a good excuse to spend time with you."_

_"....Your a goddman dork. All you have to do is ask-"_

Reno chuckled at that memory, that had been the first time Zack had him sit down on the floor in front of his coffee table to polish the damn sword he loved so much. Zack had told him why it meant so much to him, why he took such good care of it. And Reno respected that, even he took up to taking care of the sword with the 1st class whenever he stayed at his apartment, he had even set aside a spot for the weapon where Zack could safely keep it. He would grow annoyed with the new SOLDIER recruits whenever they pestered the man about the sword. While Zack would simply brush them off, Reno would usually end up the one who would snap at them. While he wasnt a SOLDIER many feared the Turks who lurked in the shadows, getting rid of any and all who dared posed a threat to ShinRa. They were the ones got silently got rid of people, did the dirty mission, handled political kills and with so much ease. It wasn't a shocked they grew to be seen as dangerous myths. 

But to Zack, he was harmless. The man would often laugh whenever Reno grew protective of the sword that wasnt even his, the blue eyed man admitted many times that he found it touching to know that Reno cared for the weapon as much as he himself did. 

"He was more then just a friend to you," it wasnt a question Cloud asked, it was a fact. It was a statement. One Reno nodded to silently as he worked to get the rust off of the still beautiful sword in front of him. Anyone who watched him could tell he had experience in handling this sword in particular. His touch was careful and his hands moved diligently. "I'm sorry, I didnt-"

"No one really knew outside of those who knew us well." Reno cut in, but again he wasnt looking at the other. Their relationship hadn't been a secret, or at least they never tried to keep it as one. People who didnt know simply didnt know and they didnt feel the need to tell anyone either. After all, it wasnt the business of anyone else go know. "By the time you met him we'd been together for a little while and we just....we never actively told anyone but we didnt hide it either. So when...when he disappeared..." he trailed off, recalling those times hurt. The testing had been put on hold, Reno begged and begged to know what had become of his lover, what become of the man he wanted to spend his life with. But no one knew, no one could tell him. Many said to just accept the fact he was dead, but he couldn't he wouldnt. The day he and Rude had been given the order to go get Zack who had been dragging around a comatose Cloud, Reno had felt like hope had returned. Zack was alive, his beloved Zack was okay and he was going to go get him and take him to safety!

But that didnt happen. They didnt get there in time. By the time they got there, there was no body, just a puddle of mud, water and blood. That moment Reno felt his hope and world shatter. Rude had been the only one to see him break down when they were finally allowed to head back home. For days in a way Reno was kept on watch and at home, at first Reno was annoyed by it, snapped at his partner and anyone who showed up at his apartment to see if he was okay. Of course he wasnt okay, he had been far from okay. But he wouldnt let them know that. Eventually he stopped telling people to go away, he shut down, refusing to talk to anyone, hardly touching any food that was given for him to eat. Then, finally came the acceptance, those days had been the worst days Reno had been through. He spent days sneaking away down to the Slums, heading for Wall Market's underground Coliseum and fought nonstop for hours. This went on for a while, Reno sneaking away, Rude sent on a search for his partner until he found himself stumbling around the streets of Wall Market, bloodied and brusied or he would find him in Honeybee inn, already treated and simply being kept company by Andrea Rhodea. 

_"Saturays coming soon, and there's a show here in town. And I thought me and you can go if you'll be around?"_

_"Asking me out on a date, Fair? Okay. Sure I dont see why not, I got Saturday off anyway."_

_"We're in the middle of a mission, can you two NOT??"_

Reno sighed, setting down what he had in his hands to press the heel of his hand to his face, his right hand curling into a fist. He took a few breaths to calm himself down, to fight back the tears that always threatened to come when it came to remembering Zack or talking about him. He looked to Cloud this time, who was sitting next to him, patiently waiting for the man to continue or change the topic. Reno knew he could change the topic, play it off as nothing and Cloud would play along, being the good person he is. But Reno felt the need to talk about this, he hadn't talked about Zack to anyone in years. As a Turk he had to learn to grieve in silence or not grieve at all if there were other pressing matters to attend to. 

"We had a stupid plan. One where we would just pack our shit and leave in the middle of the night. Not say a single word to anyone, we would run away far from here. Far and out of Shinra's reach. To a island my Ma grew up on before she made the mistake of moving here to chase after my Old Man." Reno explained, turning to look at the sword again, a soft smile over taking his features. "The Island is nature's paradise. She used to say it's land blessed by the Ancients. Shinra isnt welcomed there. When I told Zack about it one day, he said that's where he wanted to live. He wanted a house by the beach, a beach-side bar we can both run. A cat and a dog. Or at least, cats because of Dutchess and Loki at the time." He explained, laughing a small bit, while he still had Loki, Ducthess had passed away a while ago, she was old after all. "We both wanted a garden, a top floor patio where he could watch the stars at night." 

"Sounds beautiful." Cloud said, and it really did, it sounded like a beautiful life to want to live after all the shit he and anyone else involved with Shinra had been through. It was risky and bold though that Reno and Zack at the time had plans to simply go AWOL and head to a place where Shinra had absolutely no connection. It would have worked to if things hadnt gone the way they did. Cloud hadba feeling so many things would have been different if those two had managed to get away, to run so far they lived in their own little world. They would be happy, Reno and Zack would have had no reason to ever come back. But the fate that was dealt to them both hadn't been kind. It was far from it, fate had been kind enough to allow the two to meet and even fall in love. It had been kind enough to let them take comfort in each other when things in their lives grew hard and difficult. But then fate grew cold and harsh, she tore into them both, ripping their potential happy ending to shreds and leaving Reno along with so many others to pick up the peices of the aftermath. 

She was as kind as she was cruel. 

Cloud reached over, placing his hand over Reno's and squeezed gently. The action was simple but he watched as it seemed to bring the redhead back from the darker thoughts of his mind. He was a bit taken aback when Reno turned his hand upward and laced their fingers together. He and the former Turk had been doing a odd and hesitant dance around one another. For Cloud it was because he just was simply awkward with social interactions and he knew even less about relationships. Now that didnt mean he didnt want one, he just wasnt sure how to go about it and it's not like many people could handle his personality. And for Reno? Well, after having lost the man he loved so deeply in the manner of which it happened, it made sense he felt like he wanted nothing to do with the concept of love. But Reno knew his personality well, could handle him and give him the time he needed to get the hang of things. And Cloud himself wouldn't push the redhead into anything he didnt feel ready for. Reno needed time to feel safe again, he needed time for people to be trusted enough for him to open up enough to speak of what happened to him. Of what he went through. 

"One of these days, I should take you and the kids there. To that Island. Hell, maybe I should take everyone there. I think youd all love it." Reno said, staring down at their joined hands. 

Cloud blinked slowly and pulled the redhead's hand up, kissing his knuckles. "Maybe just you and I at first. One of these days, you and I should go for a few days. How about that?" In his mind it was a better option, for them to have alone time in a place where Reno had been wanting to runaway to for years. He could tell by the expression of shock that soon turned into a soft smile; that he liked that idea a little more. 

Reno gave the other a nod, his right hand resting over the rusted blade on the bar top. "Yeah...yeah I like that idea better." 

Cloud nodded in return, they didn't say anything else after that. They simply tasked themselves with cleaning the large sword, Reno even went as far as to close the bar for the evening to spend it cleaning the beautiful weapon. And in the following weeks, if anyone came in and caught him cleaning the sword, no one said a thing, but no one worried either. His expression was always happy, and calm. And if Cloud was with him? Well, no one ever mentioned how tender they both looked when their gaze would lock in on one another.


End file.
